recovery_target_inclusive

recovery_target_inclusive sets whether to include or exclude transaction with recovery target. It is a postmaster setting present in PG12–18; the latest recorded boot default is on.

Note

Fact — official short description: “Sets whether to include or exclude transaction with recovery target.”

Identity

Type , Valuebool: Upstream pg_settings type
Context , Valuepostmaster: Requires a server restart
Unit , Value—: Raw unit
Range , Value—: Raw limits in the last observed version
Enum values , Value—: — for non-enum types
Category , ValueWrite-Ahead Log / Recovery Target: Upstream classification
Latest boot value , Valueon: on

Lifecycle

Fact	Value
First observed	PG12
Present in	PG12–19 Beta 3
Removed in	No
Introduction commit	`2dedf4d9a899` — Integrate recovery.conf into postgresql.conf
Commit date	2018-11-25
Discussion	thread 1

Default history

Measured PG9.0–19 Beta 3 boot defaults
Versions	Raw `boot_val`	Unit	Human value
PG12–19 Beta 3	`on`	—	on

How it works

Chooses which side of an exact recovery boundary is retained. The value is read when targeted recovery starts.

on stops just after and includes the target LSN, commit time, or XID; off stops just before and excludes it. The setting applies only to recovery_target_lsn, recovery_target_time, and recovery_target_xid.

It has no effect on immediate or named restore-point targets. Select the boundary from identified WAL/business evidence and validate recovered rows and transactions, not only the displayed timestamp or LSN.

Tuning advice

Tip

Advice. These are workload-specific starting points and must be validated with measurements.

Workload	Guidance
OLTP	This is not a steady-state performance knob. Set recovery_target_inclusive only on an isolated recovery instance after recording target evidence, base backup, timeline, and expected boundary; rehearse and require a second-person review.
OLAP	For a large restore, budget WAL replay and inspection time first. Validate the reached point read-only; do not let heavy analytical queries delay or contaminate the recovery decision.
Small nodes	Prefer a backup tool that generates a controlled recovery configuration. Never leave target settings in ordinary primary/standby templates, and clean up signal files and targets afterward.

Pigsty

Values use the fixed 8-vCPU, 32-GiB, 100-GiB SSD fixture and render the current Pigsty templates for PG19 Beta 3; this does not assert current Pigsty support for that historical or beta release.

Template	Effective value	Versus upstream boot	Source expression
OLTP	Unmodified	—	—
OLAP	Unmodified	—	—
CRIT	Unmodified	—	—
TINY	Unmodified	—	—

Caution

Advice — pending human review. Fact from the current Pigsty template projection: OLTP: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified; OLAP: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified; CRIT: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified; TINY: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified. No Pigsty-specific rationale is inferred from an absent override.

Common pitfalls

Expecting it to affect immediate or named restore-point targets.
Selecting on/off without identifying the exact boundary transaction or WAL record.
Assuming equal timestamps imply one deterministic commit boundary.
Validating only the reported replay position instead of recovered application data.
Leaving the value in a reusable recovery template without documenting the intended side of the boundary.

recovery_target_lsn · recovery_target_time · recovery_target_xid · recovery_target_action · recovery_target_timeline · restore_command